In a meeting held yesterday between the Vice President and Governors of the South-South states, the governors demanded that majority of the corruption cases in the region be dropped by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
According to Sahara Reporters, the governors of Edo, Ondo, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Bayelsa, Abia, as well as the Deputy Governor of Cross River were in attendance.
Sahara Reporters report that their source in the meeting revealed that only Adams Oshiomole of Edo state and the deputy Governor of Cross River opposed this line of thinking.
The governors went as far as to say the federal government’s anti-corruption drive was the reason for the crisis in Niger Delta and the blowing up of Pipelines. The governors requested that the cases against former militants for corruption be dropped and the investigation into ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s alleged disbursement of arms funds to PDP functionaries discontinued.
Sahara Reporters reports that their source learnt that Minister of State for Petroleum Dr. Ibe Kachikwu was on the side of the South-South governors and that it is possible that the Niger Delta Avengers were created as a means to stop Buhari’s anti-corruption drive.
The Governor of Delta state, Authur Okowa had reportedly had extensive meetings with the Niger Delta Avengers, and Sahara Reporters report that it was evident that he and other South-South governors knew who the militants were as he spoke at the meeting.
In a press statement released at the end of the meeting, the Vice-President stated that the federal government was represented at the meeting by the Minister of Defense, Rtd. Major General Mohammed Dan Ali; Niger Delta Affairs Minister, Pastor Usani Uguru Usani; and Dr. Kachikwu.